The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for frozen ready-to-eat pork mortadella products that may have been illegally imported from Ecuador.
The products, which were shipped to several states, were found to be in violation of federal regulations, as Ecuador is not authorized to export meat and poultry products to the United States.
FSIS has identified the affected products as 1-pound vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Mortadela ESPECIAL BOLOGNIA.” These products are of concern because they lack the required USDA mark of inspection and an establishment number, indicating they were not inspected before entering the U.S. market.
The mortadella products were distributed to retail and distributor locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The issue was uncovered during routine surveillance at a warehouse, where FSIS inspectors discovered the products in question.
While there have been no reports of illness related to the consumption of these products, FSIS is urging consumers to discard or return any affected items. The agency has expressed concern that some of the product may still be in consumers’ freezers.
“Anyone who has purchased this product should not consume it and should either throw it away or return it to the place of purchase,” FSIS officials said in the alert.
At this time, FSIS is continuing its investigation into the product’s origins, and further recalls may be issued if additional products are found to be affected.
For more information, consumers and media can contact Veronica Vasquez, President of Ecuatorianita Imports & Exports, LLC, at 732-309-0183 or via email at [email protected].
The FSIS encourages anyone concerned about potential illness to contact a healthcare provider.
Federal law requires every commercial shipment of imported meat, poultry, and egg products to be inspected prior to product entering U.S. commerce. FSIS inspects each shipment to verify labeling, proper certification, general condition, any signs of tampering and to identify product adulterated by transportation damage.
FSIS also performs additional activities on a random and/or for-cause basis such as physical product examination and laboratory sampling for pathogens and chemical residues.
Any product that does not meet FSIS requirements is refused entry, and the importer has up to 45 days (30 days for egg products) to have the product destroyed for use as human food, re-exported/returned to the foreign country, converted to animal food, or brought into compliance with FSIS requirements, if applicable.